Graham Norton hates watching himself on TV – and why he does it anyway

UK comedian Graham Norton has interviewed the world’s biggest names. now he has an Aussie tour in his sights – and it seems we can’t wait.

Graham Norton has some stern words for anyone in the public eye who says they don’t like to see themself on the small or big screen.

“Get over yourself,” Norton tells Insider.

“Maybe you should watch it. I always feel it is so rude because if you’re asking other people to watch it, and you say you aren’t willing to watch it yourself. I get it … when I say that I watch it, it is not like it is a total pleasure, it is cringe-making watching yourself do anything but I think you kind of need to bite the bullet and do it. And you learn an awful lot. Maybe as an actor it doesn’t work, it would make you too self-conscious or something. But as a host, it certainly does benefit.”

He’s speaking to Insider via Zoom ahead of his first ever Australian run of shows with An Evening With Graham Norton Down Under in March – and pre-sales for the tour have been so overwhelming this week that new dates in each city have already been announced.

Graham Norton (back) with his guests for The Graham Norton Show (from left) Sir Michael Parkinson, Nicole Kidman, Dev Patel, Felicity Jones, Dawn French and Jack Savoretti. Picture: Channel 10

Norton travelled here for a holiday nearly four decades ago but remarkably has never visited for work. The 61-year-old is one of the most famous faces in comedy globally, especially famous for his work hosting The Graham Norton Show in which top tier celebrities join him for candid and often revealing chats on his legendary red studio couch.

The show has won Norton an incredible nine BAFTA Awards and airs locally on Channel 10.

Norton has just released his sixth novel, Frankie, and has appeared in several films including Eurovision Song Contest: The Story of Fire Saga, The Stand In and The Idea of You.

Graham Norton “started as a stand-up a thousand years ago”.

His Australian tour will start in Adelaide on March 9 and finish at the iconic Sydney Opera House on the 20th of that month.

“I started as a stand-up a thousand years ago. This is not a stand-up,” he says.

“It is almost sit down. I sit for a little moment, I asked for a stool so I have to use it. Basically it is me telling stories about my life and career, mostly funny, and then I show clips. Some are old of me, some are old bits of the chat show, some are clips of people’s favourite guests. There’s a section on red chairs, and then we throw it open to the audience and they get to direct what I talk about.”

He continued: “There’s a question and answer thing. I’ve just finished it actually here in the UK and I’ve really enjoyed it. At the end of it, I go, well this is a show so I should probably do something with it and, yeah, I am off to Australia and New Zealand.”

Back when they hosted their own talk shows, Oprah Winfrey and Ellen DeGeneres famously showcased all Australia has to offer when they shot episodes here. Norton said he’d be open to the idea, but had no plans currently.

“Maybe now that it has been announced someone will go, ‘we’ll do that’ but, at the moment, it is just the live shows and swanning around,” he says.

“Also, because I work with the same people, someone would have to pay for all of those people to fly out. If someone goes, ‘oh that would be great’ but then they looked into how much it would cost to fly all of those people out, they might cool their heels on the idea.”

Other dates on the tour are Riverside Theatre Perth on March 10 and 11, the Brisbane Convention Centre on March 13 and 14, and Melbourne’s Hamer Hall on March 16. Then, it is off to New Zealand.

Norton will be accompanied by Scottish filmmaker husband Jonathan McLeod so the pair can make the most of any downtime seeing the sights between shows.

Hosts Alesha Dixon, Julia Sanina, Hannah Waddingham and Graham Norton during the final of the Eurovision Song contest 2023 in Liverpool. Picture: Paul Ellis/AFP

“We get there for Kylie’s (Minogue) last show,” he says.

“He (McLeod) is on his way so hopefully it will be a nice holiday. We will figure it out (what to do) so all suggestions gratefully received. I really hope this is a holiday as well, that is why I have taken so much time because I want to have a nice time.”

Despite cutting his teeth in stand-up comedy earlier in his career, it isn’t part of his show these days.

“I think there’s something kind of undignified about that,” he laughs.

“Hopefully people will have a laugh along the way. I feel it is sort of age appropriate for me. Hopefully it is not unseemly to see me gadding about on stage.”

Age appropriate? Comedy is universal right?

“Is it though?” Norton poses.

“I feel like pure stand-up, and there are absolutely exceptions to this rule. One of the people I talk about on the show is (the late) Joan Rivers and she was still at the height of her powers when she passed and she was in her 80s. But I think mostly it is kind of a young person’s game, stand-up as an art form by and large.”

Graham Norton is hoping to have time to enjoy himself while touring live in Australia.

Bubbly personality and countless accolades aside, Norton revealed stand-up was never his forte.

“Also, I was never very good,” he admits.

“Stand-up was something I got away with and it was a means to an end. I never wanted to be a stand-up. I wanted to be an actor and I was writing skits and sketches for the Edinburgh Festival and the shows would do well but, because I wasn’t an actor and I wasn’t a stand-up, people didn’t kind of know what to do with me.

“The minute I got rid of the mic and said, ‘I’m Graham Norton and I’m a stand-up’, suddenly producers at least knew what I was. I started getting gigs, hosting gigs and bits of radio, and it was amazing the difference it was. It was like overnight. Nothing had changed other than I said was a stand-up show but suddenly people felt confident that they knew what I was and what they could do with it.”

Norton is very comfortable highlighting his weaknesses, even if others wouldn’t see them as such. It is refreshing, inciteful and honest, just like the interviews on his show.

Graham Norton with Hillary Clinton. The host is refreshing, inciteful and honest, just like the interviews on his show.

“If you think you are very good at something, then I think you are kind of done, that’s the end of it,” he says.

“Putting this show together, I went back and looked at lots of old clips of me doing early things and they were just awful, just terrible. So I don’t know if I am any good now but I am better than I was and that was at least a nice thing to know. There has been some improvement over the years but hopefully I keep improving.

“If I’m in on a Friday, I will watch it (his show) because I think, if I can’t be bothered to watch it, how can I expect anyone else to. When I watch it, I genuinely do give myself notes.”

So why has it taken so long for Norton to venture Down Under?

“I kept meaning to come back, I had a lovely time … it is just life got in the way,” Norton explains, almost apologetically.

“I think what really happened was when I had enough money to come to Australia, I was then busy and it meant that I was missing all the nice weather, but now the chat show (production) finishes a bit earlier so it means I will be getting some nice awesome weather.”

An Evening With Graham Norton plays the Sydney Opera House on March 19 and 20. Tickets on sale now (tegdainty.com)